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White Star class
The White Star class was a class of advanced warships maintained by the Anla'Shok. Utilizing Minbari and Vorlon technology, it served as the backbone of the Interstellar Alliance's fleet. They were manufactured at the Valen's Eye manufacturing point in the Minbari System.The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD ROM) History The first White Star was developed in secret by the Anla'shok, under the supervision of Ulkesh Naranek and Chosen One Jenimer throughout 2259. By November the first batch of three prototypes were ready, though they were only scaled down fighter sized White Stars, they were essential in testing the viability of adapting Vorlon and Minbari technology. Their first real test flight was a mission to prevent the Shadows from using the Temporal Rift in Sector 14. The three fighters were piloted by the newly qualified Rangers Marcus Cole and Catherine Sakai with Entil'Zha Sinclair piloting the third. The mission was a success, though it came at the cost of Ranger Sakai, whose fighter fell into the time distortion.To Dream in the City of Sorrows In January 2260, the first full scale ship was complete and presented secretly to Captain John Sheridan of Babylon 5, though due to problems with the Warrior Caste, the initial crew was almost entirely composed of the Religious Caste.Matters of Honor With the assistance of the Worker Caste, a massive round the clock effort was begun to put the White Star class into full production and by the December of 2260 the rest of the White Star fleet had been completed, just in time to participate in the Battle of Sector 83.And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding PlaceShadow Dancing After the defeat of the Shadows the fleet gathered at Babylon 5 for repairs and re-crew. At that time many Rangers replaced the Religious Caste as crew of the vessels, and continued to do so as more trained personnel became available. The presence of the White Stars at the station became politically troublesome for Sheridan, as Earth President Clark spun the propaganda that these ships were to be used in an invasion force against Earth by Sheridan. The ships did serve as part of the liberation force, along with Earthforce warships, and overthrew Clark. The White Stars were also used to escort Delenn back and forth to Minbar so that she could coordinate with her caste in the civil war amongst the Minbari people. The White Stars served in an entanglement with the Drakh when that species preyed upon commercial transports, including ships allied to the Minbari and promised protection by the Religious caste, that the Warrior Caste no longer felt an obligation to uphold. The Drakh offered their services to Delenn to assist on her side of the civil conflict in exchange for a home within Minbari space. The offer was a ruse to lure her into a trap that the Drakh planned to use as revenge against the person that caused them to lose their previous home, Z'ha'dum, and their masters, the Shadows. The White Stars destroyed the fighters and the heavy cruiser which acted as a mothership to that group. After the Minbari Gray Council was reformed and the civil unrest resolved, and the Earth civil war ended, the Interstellar Alliance was formed and assumed ownership of the White Star fleet. Their primary duty was border patrol of the member territories and protection of the commercial shipping lanes. Their first big task as part of the ISA was to provide aid to the Enphili people who requested help from the Alliance against raiders. President Sheridan dispatched all White Stars of the fleet to rendezvous with a Drazi fleet for backup. After learning that the Drazi were behind the raids the White Stars moved in early, destroyed the Raiders, and waited for the Drazi to follow or admit their duplicity and relinquish control of the planet. Upon returning the fleet engaged an unknown alien force that was scouting out Babylon 5 space for possible invasion. The station was about to fall from the prolonged attack when the fleet arrived and cleaned up. These various engagements cost the fleet heavily in ships. They had been going up against full size cruisers, destroyers, as well as fighters. Sheridan realized that the fleet would not last and knew that the Minbari were not building replacements any longer. He convinced Delenn to approach the Gray Council and have them approve of a joint production venture with the Earth Alliance to build destroyer-sized White Stars to supplement the fleet. The Minbari would supply technical specifications and advanced technology, and Earthforce would build and pay for the construction (also acquiring new technology for itself). Additional Technical Specifications These are one of the newest class of Minbari attack ship whose duties have been delegated to the Rangers and the Interstellar Alliance. These were also the first non-Vorlon ship to be designed in co-operation with the Vorlon Empire, so they incorporate features such as Vorlon bio-armor that would normally only be found on Vorlon ships. These ships were built to be both maneuverable enough to engage fighters, and to have the punch to take on capital ships when operating in groups. They were used as the predominant weapons in the Shadow War between 2259 and 2261 and proved themselves to be formidable vessels, taking on vessels many times their size and winning. This incredible performance is in part due to advanced Vorlon components found in the ship such as the bio-armoured hull which is capable of learning from experience and adapting itself to better protect the ship in new engagements; this hull design also gives the ship the ability to 'heal' itself after it has been damaged. These ships are also capable of creating their own jump point into hyperspace without using a jumpgate, giving these ships tremendous flexibility on the battlefield. The bridge of the ship was located on the top.Walkabout The White Star Fleet After the White Star 1 proved a success, the Minbari began working around the clock to build a fleet of White Star ships, numbering around 100 - 150 hulls.JMS post on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (1/20/2002) Behind the Scenes The White Star was designed and built by Foundation Imaging Co-Founder Ron Thornton. Design of the ship was based on the pelican.White Star at B5Scrolls Appearances References Category:Ship classes Category:ISA Ships Category:Minbari Ships Category:White Stars